A well done documentary of a small road that had an interesting life. Interesting that, for the exception of the bobbers, all the cupolas on the other cabooses appeared unused with windows either painted over or boarded up. The consist of the Lehigh Valley work train is a modeler's dream project.
Wow. _Wow!_ *WOW!* Several things struck me, as I'm viewing this in late October, the "blah" weather outside, followed by the first snowfall, has always gotten my model railroading juices flowing, so all the brown ground cover and leafless trees---then the snow scenes!---got my heart pumping. This is like a modern, "super-sized" _Model Railroader_ "A Railroad You Can Model" article. And then I sometimes felt like a local fan, wandering around with my camera through the years. In short: _WOW!_
Really nice overview of this small but interesting railroad! It is wonderful that you found so many picture or vids to go with the story. Sad that the apparently well regarded Baldwin 750 & 751 are gone and we are left with just EMD and GE? Where have all the FM’s, Alco’s gone?
Wow super memories of that train in the late 60s early 70s going across Everhart Road all the time on its way pass the Whitehall Diner in down past the high school as it would go down which is now Rural Road they took the train right away and made a road through there and it used to go up past Ranger Lake and then cut across new heart Farms to the Twin Lakes Golf Course which was too big huge iron pits that are $115 ft deep it ended there at the golf course because there was a railroad marker that still there the great history you are lucky to get these videos .does somebody have about the Liberty Bell line the passenger line from Allentown to Philly now it's called the R5 from Lansdale
I grew up less than 5 miles from the Ironton RR yet the only time I saw a train on the line was in 1980 when I was working as an enumerator for the census and was assigned to work the Cementon and Egypt, PA areas. I witnessed a Conrail SW and the Ironton #8 caboose (in RDG paint) rolling through Egypt on its way to the Giant Cement Co. My branch line interests were focused in Allentown where I lived (specifically the West End and Barber branches of the Lehigh Valley RR) and I had very little exposure to this fascinating line which ran slightly north of Allentown. I've seen many videos and pictures of the Ironton over the years since its abandonment but almost all of your photos and videos were new to me. I saw credit given for the film clips, but am wondering where all those wonderful still photos came from? Were they also taken by George Legler? I loved the shots of the 751 (and its caboose) out on the long concrete coal trestle at the Coplay Cement Co. Thanks so much for sharing these rare images with those of us who (sadly) never bothered to explore the line during the years it was still in service.
Another good one! 9:29 A modeling detail, the fan tracks sloped up to the turntable, to prevent engines from rolling into the pit. Any idea why the LV not-so-big hook was there?
The sloping of the tracks was not intentional. It was caused by settlement of the track in the area beyond the turntable while the ends of the tracks rested on the pit wall and couldn't settle. The slope was insufficient to prevent engines going into the pit, it happened several times.
The clip of the 751 shoving coal loads up the steep grade is awesome. I enjoy Mike Bednar's admiration of the 751 in his Railfanning vides of Allentown Yard. He says that engine could do anything. Only reason it was scrapped is because Conrail didn't want to keep parts for the Baldwins, according to Mike.
As I rember. Some had a generator that ran off the bogies to create the power for the lights and some heat. Even a low power radio/ phone for coms to engine and terminals in passing. That little red car was the hub of the operation.
Lights, yes. Radio, yes. Heat, no. Those low voltage/battery setups in cabooses wouldn't run any kind of electric heat for more than a minute or two. Heat came from coal or oil stoves.
A good sized club space could probably model nearly the entire road..I do wish more clubs would go point to point as opposed to continual. The argument when I post this elsewhere has been that open house visitors will get bored not seeing longer faster main line scenes..(1) So what. They attended and paid the fee, if any. (2) I believe just as many would enjoy seeing the way a RR turns around its engines and cars..(TT, wye, balloon track)..Operator could explain it to one's interested, which in turn may cause more to get into the hobby just because of it. I mean no offense whatsoever toward those who do enjoy the continual type MRR. I do realize it's still just a hobby. Thanks for the nice tour and matching somber but relaxing, music....M, Los Angeles
They were designed to burn anthracite coal waste (culm), which was being dumped at the breakers in massive piles. It was essentially free fuel. Hard coal required a huge grate area compared with contemporary bituminous burners. Putting the cab atop the firebox (as was the practice in the 1870s) created clearance issues, so the engineer was moved forward astride the boiler barrel while the fireman remained at the rear to feed the fire. As boiler diameters increased after the turn of the century, cabs on new locos were moved to the rear and behind the firebox. Camelbacks were finally banned by the ICC in new construction after 1927. Existing camelbacks were grandfathered and some lasted until the end of the steam era.
The engines burned hard coal "anthracite" which requires a very wide firebox to make for a very low draft on the firebed. A hard or fast draft causes lots of clinkers and unburned coal - the Wooten firebox was developed for this purpose but the firebox was very wide there is/was no room for a proper cab.
@@terrywitkowski6937 They were primarily used by the Anthracite roads, RDG CNJ LV DL&W D&H Erie LNE LHR. Some western roads experimented with them to burn lignite. PRR had three Atlantic camelbacks with hybrid Belpaire Wooten fireboxes. They were an attempt to compete with P&R's fast camelbacks on the Atlantic City runs.
